Woodturning

Fundamentals

woodturner.org

2012 | VOLUME 1: ISSUE 1-6 | Safety | Projects | Tips | Techniques

Woodturning Fundamentals
TABLE OF CONTENTS AAW
EDUCATION

2012 - Volume 1: Issues 1-6

Features
A Note from the 2012 Fundamentals Chairperson, Kurt Hertzog 1

Projects
• Square Hand Mirrors, John Lucas 2
• Video: Tips on Turning a Hand Mirror, John Lucas 6

Tips
• Design: Static vs. Dynamic, Keith Thompkins 7
• Sharpening the Skew, Keith Thompkins 8
• Creating Flutes Using Indexing, Keith Thompkins 9
• Working Safely: Listen to Your Inner Voice, Donald Derry 11
• Working Safely: My Favorite Safety Tip, Donald Derry 12
• Food Safe Finishes, Rob Wallace 13
• Lathe Speed: How fast should I run my lathe? Kurt Hertzog 15
• Segmenting: How to Cut Segments, Jim Rodgers 16

Member Q & A
• Getting Started: What tools should I buy? Kurt Hertzog 17
• Getting Started: What equipment should I buy? Kurt Hertzog 18

Video Tips
• Measuring a Tenon on a Spindle Turning Using a Caliper, Beth 20
Ireland
• Turning a Morse Taper, Beth Ireland 21

Woodturning Board of Directors Woodturning A Note About Safety:

Fundamentals (2014) Fundamentals An accident at the lathe
can happen with
a bimonthly publication by Dale Larson, President Committee
the American Association of Kurt Hertzog, VP blinding suddenness.
Denis Delehanty,
Woodturners Cassandra Speier, Sec. Respiratory and other
Chair
222 Landmark Ctr. Philip Hauser, Treas. problems can build over
Linda Ferber
75 5th St W Binh Pho years. Take precautions
Beth Ireland
St. Paul, MN 55102 Rob Wallace when you turn. Safety
Rob Wallace
phone 651-484-9094 Lou Williams guidelines are published
John Lucas
website woodturner.org Denis Delehanty online at
Alan Zenreich
Exec. Director: Phil Art Liestman http://www.woodturner
McDonald .org/?page=Safety
phil@woodturner.org Following them will help
Program Director: you continue to enjoy
Linda Ferber woodturning.
linda@woodturner.org

Cover photo: Andi Wolfe

AAW | w o o d tu rn e r.o rg
WELCOME
A Note From the 2012 Woodturning Fundamentals Chair
Welcome to Woodturning FUNdamentals:

Please let me welcome you to a new educational effort by the American Association
of Woodturners. We call it "Woodturning Fundamentals." It will be an easy-to-find
and easy-to-use area of multimedia materials on all facets of woodturning, providing
a source for basic skills & techniques:

 Encourage and assist members of the woodturning community in the

development of their skills.
 Provide a source for starting and developing woodturning skills.
 Provide reference for equipment.
 Provide woodturning safety information

We encourage you to forward this email to your woodturning buddies who might
not be aware of AAW and its educational benefits.

The release of new materials will be timed to alternate with the publishing of the
American Woodturner journal. Between these two, you'll have new materials to enjoy
each month.

The contributors to Woodturning Fundamentals include Nick Cook, Rob Wallace,

Beth Ireland, Keith Tompkins, Joe Herrmann, John Lucas, Linda Ferber, and Kurt
Hertzog. In our content, we'll include past journal materials, specially created
articles, tool and equipment reviews, educational video clips, tips and tricks, and
questions & answers.

Feel free to send in questions for the Q&A as well as suggestions for content or
improvement in our Woodturning Fundamentals program. We look forward to
hearing from you.

For more than twenty-five years, the American Association of Woodturners has
continued to provide encouragement, support, resources, and opportunities for
woodturners of all skill levels from hobbyist and student to seasoned professional.
Members of your chapter that are not AAW members can learn more about AAW
and benefits at this link.

Best,
Kurt Hertzog
2012 Chair
Chapters and Membership Committee

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VIDEO TIPS
Tips on Turning a Hand Mirror

John Lucas shares tips on turning a hand mirror (TRT: 1:39).

Video link: http://vimeo.com/72487911 (Tip: If you have trouble accessing the video
directly from this document, you may copy the video link and paste it directly into your
browser.)

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TIPS: DESIGN
Static vs. Dynamic
By Keith Tompkins

(Selection from Woodturning Fundamentals, July 2012)

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TIPS: SHARPENING THE SKEW
Sharpening the Skew Tip
By Keith Tompkins

(Selection from Woodturning Fundamentals, September 2012)

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TIPS: INDEXING
Creating Flutes Using the Indexing Feature
By Keith Tompkins

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS

(Selection from Woodturning Fundamentals, November 2012)

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TIPS: WORKING SAFELY
Listen to Your Inner Voice
Working safely helps you to avoid forefront, so it may help you avoid an
accidents. Here is a tip that anyone can accident, you must accept one
and should use as he or she begins the important assumption. These intuitive
learning curve of woodturning. In fact feelings are not random thoughts.
it’s a technique that, once mastered can There is a reason why these
be used very effectively in all walks of thoughts develop. Your job is to figure
life. out what triggered these odd feelings.
Fortunately, using this seemingly
This simple yet powerful technique can esoteric safety concept constructively is
be summed up into a very simple far easier than understanding the
statement, “Listen to your inner voice.” psychology of the concept itself.
This little voice is also known as
intuition, instinct, insight, even Implementing
precognition. It is a subtle but uncanny your intuitive Stop the
sense that something isn’t quite right. sense is simple. machinery
Nine out of ten times a person will Just follow one immediately.
disregard this moment of odd feeling simple rule. Any Double check
and nothing out of the ordinary time you have an everything you
happens and the feeling fades away. odd feeling that are working on
However, the one time that something something isn't and with. Make
does materialize out of that feeling, an quite right. Stop sure everything
accident may occur with disastrous the machinery is snug, sharp
unintended consequences. immediately. and in its
Double check proper place.
Think back in your own experience. I’ll everything you
bet you can remember a time when you are working on and with. Make sure
or someone you know said something everything is snug, sharp and in its
like this. “Ya know, I felt something was proper place. Once you're confident all is
wrong just before...” Or perhaps you well, then and only then proceed with
heard, “I should have listened to your project. This routine only takes a
myself.” Or, "I just knew something was few extra moments and you will be
going to go wrong.” These are very surprised how many times you actually
common exclamations people make find something that is amiss. Remember,
when telling the story of an accident woodturning is no fun if you’re hurt.
they were involved in.
~ Donald Derry
There is a reason why these statements Ellensburg, Washington
are common. In order to bring this well-
studied safety concept to the

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TIPS: WORKING SAFELY
My Favorite Safety Tip
"Never use the ON/ OFF switch to turn off your lathe. Always use the variable speed knob."
We have all had the experience of
mounting a turning blank and
watching, in horror, as it ramps up to
three times more speed than it should
– all because we neglected to lower the
speed of the machine after the last
project. We then find out how scary it
is catching a bucking bronco while
trying to hit the off switch. Once the
shaking stops and we've counted our
fingers and toes and made sure the
shop didn't self-destruct, we give a sigh
of relief and tell ourselves that we will
never enter that rodeo event again.
Then a few weeks or a month later, we
neglectfully make the same mistake.
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I made this very mistake in front of a
room full of people at a chapter
meeting one time. I had turned off the
lathe to change the belt to high range.
I then told a witty anecdote and totally
forgot that the lathe would now be in
hyperspace-mode when re-energized. I
hit the ON switch and... You can
visualize the rest. Fortunately, nothing
was hurt during the incident except for
my professional pride the overhead
light fixture.
I gave a lot of thought to this
experience and later figured out that it
would never have happened if I had
used the variable speed knob to turn
the spindle off and on. I now use the
knob religiously and not the ON/OFF
toggle. To their credit, the club left that
damaged light unrepaired for years as a
reminder of how dangerous a lathe can
be when it’s not piloted correctly.
~ Donald Derry
Ellensburg, Washington
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TIPS: FOOD SAFE FINISHES
Food Safe Finishes

Question:
I am a woodturner and a member of the porous structure of the wood. For those
Chippewa Valley Woodturners Guild. I pieces that will not be subject to damage
would like a listing of the FDA-approved from food handling utensils, film
wood finishing products such as oils, etc. finishes, such as polyurethane, lacquer,
Thank you. “varnish,” or even shellac would be
~ Dennis, Wisconsin acceptable to use, for example, on serving
platters. For those pieces where a film
Answer:
finish is likely to be damaged (cutting
The topic of food safe finishes is a
boards, salad bowls, etc.) a penetrating oil
recurring theme for many woodturners
finish is
and woodworkers who envision placing
recommended.
their projects in contact with food, drink, However, once
For film
or any materials meant to be consumed. the finish has
finishes, once
Some of the concerns raised about
the carrier “matured” to its
whether something is “food safe” or not
solvents have final state,
stem from invalid assumptions about the
been permitted many would
nature of the available finishes used to
to fully leave the argue that
protect the wood, accentuate its figure,
finish, and the nearly all
and reduce infiltration of moisture and
surface has finishes are
other materials from the food into the
“dried,” one “food safe.”
wood. While in their liquid state, most
might consider
finishes should be considered “toxic” and
these surfaces
unsafe for human consumption due to
food safe. For example, it is necessary to
the presence of solvents used to carry the
allow polyurethane finishes to fully
actual finish into or onto the wood
polymerize and lose their carrier solvents
surface. However, once the finish has
(essentially making a “plastic” film
“matured” to its final state, many would
finish), and to allow soluble finishes such
argue that nearly all finishes are “food
as shellac and lacquer to fully evaporate
safe,” specifically with regard to direct
away their solvents. Assuming you don’t
contact with food, such that no
serve food mixes containing high
undesirable chemicals will leach out of
concentrations of alcohol or lacquer
the wood and finish into the food
thinner, which would dissolve these
material being consumed. If you don’t eat
finishes, the surfaces should also be
or drink the finish, it’s food safe!
considered “food safe.” In fact, purified
shellac is a frequent ingredient used in
We first need to determine the kind of
various pharmaceutical products (e.g.
finish desired, as to whether it forms a
coated tablets or pills), and is fully
film on the surface of the wood, or
ingestible and generally safe.
whether the finish penetrates into the

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS
Similarly, oil finishes are often
supplied as dissolved in a solvent
which must leave the oil behind in the
wood as it evaporates, and then allow
the oil to “cure.” That is, if the oil
finish used is composed of one of the
so-called “drying-oils,” such as linseed,
tung, or walnut oils. These oils do not
actually “dry” in the evaporation
sense, but actually undergo
spontaneous cross-linking of their
molecular structures (in the double
bonds of their fatty acids) with the
incorporation of oxygen from the air.
The fully-cured oils would also be
considered food safe. In some
commercial preparations of oil finishes
(such as those using primarily linseed
oil), metal-based chemicals are added
to increase the rate of cross-linking
with oxygen; without these “metallic
driers” some of these finishes would
take quite a long time to cure. Are the
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metallic drier chemicals “toxic” – yes,
if they are ingested in their soluble
form – however as the oils cure and
become cross-linked, very little, if any
of these additives should leach out into
one’s food. Even if the wood itself is
ingested containing the cured, cross-
linked oils, it is doubtful that a
sufficient amount of metallic drier and
cross-linked oil could be considered
toxic in any significant concentration.
Finishes sold as “salad bowl” or
“butcher block” finishes are
chemically related to other penetrating
oil finishes that “dry” and should be
considered “food safe.” Oils that do
not “dry” such as olive, peanut, canola,
and “vegetable oil” will turn rancid
through degradation of the oil’s fatty
acid components, and impart bad
odors or flavors in foods used on these
surfaces. Although these degradation
products are generally not toxic, they
are undesirable, and these types of oils
should not be used on utilitarian wood
products. Mineral oil, which “never
dries or turns rancid” is sometimes
used, and as long as a purified (USP)
form of mineral oil is used (and
replenished as needed), it, too, may be
considered a food safe finish.
Finally, waxes such as beeswax and
carnauba wax may also be considered
food safe, provided any solvents used
as a carrier for the wax are allowed to
evaporate fully.
~ Rob Wallace, Ames, Iowa
rwallace@iastate.edu
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TIPS: LATHE SPEED
How fast should I run my lathe?
The question often asked, especially by
newcomers, is, "How fast should my lathe
be running?" The answer, as facetious as it
sounds, is, "It depends." The guiding
principle must always be that you run the
lathe no faster than is safe. Generally, the
quality of the cut is better with the wood
moving faster by the edge than slower.
That is, of course, with sharp tools and
appropriate tool presentation and there is a
point of diminishing returns. Depending
on the activity – roughing, interrupted
cuts, finishing cuts, detailing, sanding –
different speeds are appropriate.
There are many things that will influence
your determination of how fast to run
your lathe. These include: size and balance
of the material; size of the lathe; mounting
technique; cut being performed; tool being
used; your experience; and more. Again,
the overriding factor is safety. Never turn
any faster than is safe and that you feel
comfortable with. If you have any doubts,
always err on the side of safety. Going
slower and making judicious increases in
speed, if appropriate, will be a much wiser
choice.
Good practice when turning on a lathe, for
everyone from the beginner
to the professional, is to know what the
speed is set, prior to turning on the lathe.
Set the speed to be slower and safer than
needed prior to turning on the lathe. After
ensuring that the speed is safe,
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double-checking the work mounting, and
checking for rotational clearance between
the work and the tool rest, you are now
ready to turn on the lathe. Be sure you are
positioned safely when turning on the
lathe and then speed up the lathe from
your safe start up speed to your desired
turning speed.
Rotations Per Minute (RPM) is really not a
useful concept in woodturning. Surface
feet per minute, however, is an important
consideration. A pen blank might be safely
turned at thousands of RPM, while a 30”
platter might only be safe at a couple of
hundred RPM. Always be cognizant of the
size and speed relationship with your lathe
speed selection. Always remember that
there is no advantage to going faster than
appropriate. Not only do you put safety at
risk but you gain no improvement in work
quality or rate. Start slow, speed up as is
safe.
~ Kurt Hertzog
Henrietta, New York
(Selection from Woodturning Fundamentals, March
2012)
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TIP: SEGMENTING
How to Cut Segments
Question:
I like doing segmented turning a lot and
I have been using Ray Allen's book
entitled "Woodturning with Ray Allen.”
On page 51 at the bottom of the page
there is a beautiful bowl that has these
little triangle (brown in color) pieces in it
and I would like to know how he made
those. Can someone send me a detailed
explanation on how to get those little
triangles into one of my bowls? Thank
you so much in advance for your help.
~ John, Tennessee
Answer:
I was happy to read your e-mail
concerning Ray Allen's vessel designs.
One of the fun things about segmented
woodturning is not the turning but
figuring out how to make the designs we
desire. Creating a specific design requires
several steps
• A detailed drawing of all component
parts
• A plan on how to cut the components
while maintaining the grain
alignment
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• Building jigs/fixtures to allow the
creating of accurate components
• Building the vessel, etc.
With Ray's vessel the 16 segment ring is
not made from just sixteen individual
segments. Each segment is individually
constructed.
• First the curly maple segment is cut to
the correct angles
• A sanding fixture is built to sand away
the top right corner of each segment
• A contrasting color wood is glued
onto that corner (keeping the grain
aligned horizontally)
• The segment is re-sanded to blend in
the contrasting wood and regain the
correct segment angle
• The top of the segment can also be
sanded to re-flatten it however, that
steps can be done later after that ring
is added to the assembly.
With many complex designs there is a lot
of sub-assembly, sanding to get precise
alignments, sub-section gluing, etc.
A great source for assistance in solving
many technical design/assembly
problems is to join the AAW chapter on
segmented woodturning where many
daily discussions deal with similar points.
http://www.segmentedwoodturners.org/
I hope that this gives you some help. If
there are more questions please feel free
to contact me directly.
~ Jim Rodgers, Martinez, California
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MEMBER Q & A
Starter Tools
Question:
I am a new turner and am confused by
all of the tools available. What tools
should I buy?
~ Klem, Kansas
Answer:
Klem, as is the case with any other
hobby or craft, there are a myriad of
tools available. They range from
critically necessary to the tasks at
hand, through the nice to have
making the task easier, to virtually
useless but were promoted nicely. My
suggestion is to go VERY SLOWLY in
your tool purchases. In the excitement
that comes with a new pastime, it is
easy to shop to excess only to find out
that many of the purchases were
inappropriate or unnecessary.
The first order of business is to decide
what your turning interest is now. It
will probably change as you go forward
and you may need to expand your tool
arsenal as you branch into other areas.
The needs for a bowl turner are quite
different than those of a spindle
turner. There are some common tools
but your workhorse tools for bowls are
different than those for spindle work.
If you are interested in bowls as you
start, your first purchase will probably
be a bowl gouge. Select a size that will
work for the type and size of bowls you
are doing. Initially, you should be able
to work quite nicely with just one. Size
it for the size work you plan to be
doing. Later on, you might add other
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sizes or duplicates that you will put a
different grind on. Your next tools are
likely to be a parting tool and then a
spindle gouge. Again, size them based
on the size of work you plan to be
doing.
If you are going to be more involved
with spindles, your initial tool
purchases will bypass the bowl gouge
in favor of the spindle tools. You
probably will start with a roughing
gouge, spindle gouge, and parting tool.
Those will get you going with the
fundamental spindle type activities.
Whether you do stairwell balusters or
pens, the concepts and the tools are
basically the same though the tool size
and grind may vary. Later on, adding a
skew and other spindle-specific tools
will be your choice.
In both arenas, you’ll probably have a
need for the scraper family. My
caution is to be very careful with your
scraper size and its application. The
tendency for new turners is to use the
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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS
scraper as a crutch to cure poor
turning. There are great uses for
scrapers, but don’t use them to cover
up for turning that could easily be
done better with a cutting tool.
Some words of advice on tool
purchases. Go slowly! Buy as you need
and make sure you look at it for the
long term. If you’ll get 25 years of
service out of a tool, amortizing the
cost of that tool becomes more
palatable. I recommend against buying
the various manufacturers kits of tools.
While the sales agents will pitch the
cost savings for you to buy all of them
as a package, you’ll wind up with tools
you probably won’t use or which are
inappropriately sized for your
application. Buy what you need in the
way of tools as you need them rather
than the “one size fits all” kit of tools.
Do not be afraid to buy used tools.
There is little to go wrong with a tool,
even if it has been improperly ground.
It may look ugly but it can be fixed
with proper sharpening. As long as it is
high speed steel, as opposed to the
older carbon steel tools, a grinder
won’t damage the underlying tool steel
properties. If you are looking at used
tools, I suggest you avoid the older
styles of tools. The designs have
progressed and the older styles, while
they certainly will work, might not be
what you’d like to use over the long
haul. Older tools of the more modern
design are fine, but older designs
might not be the best choice for a
beginner.
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High quality tools will cost more than
lower quality tools. You certainly can
over pay for anything, but buying
smart yet searching for the quality is a
good goal. Buy as you need and buy
the tool for the long haul. You’ll be
much better off with fewer tools and
more mastery of those tools than a
huge array of tools that you can’t
handle and aren’t capable of properly
sharpening. Spend time with your
local chapter and turning friends. Try
out the tools you’d like to buy to see if
you really want them. Your fellow
turners can recommend their favorites
and will likely let you try them. It is a
good way to make sure you don’t wind
up with tools that you bought but have
no need for.
If there is a bottom line, it’s to go
slowly, get advice from knowledgeable
turners, and master fewer tools rather
than be ineffective with a large
assortment.
~ Kurt Hertzog
Henrietta, New York
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MEMBER Q & A
Starter Equipment
Question:
There are too many things to buy when
getting started in woodturning. I can’t
buy them all right now, so what should I
buy first?
~ Ferdinand, Los Gatos, California
Answer:
Ferdinand, you are right about the many
things but don’t worry. You can get
started pretty simply and pace your
purchases. With the assumption that you
have a lathe or have access to one, let’s
focus on the initial other turning items.
First and foremost is the personal
protective equipment you should have
and always use in your woodturning
endeavors. A good pair of safety glasses,
face shield, or goggles should be your first
item to have. Depending on your turning
projects, one type of eye protection might
be more desirable than another, but it is
imperative that you have eye protection
at all times. Dust protection is also
important. Disposable paper dust masks
or a permanent version should always be
available and used as appropriate.
Whether or not you use a turning smock,
make sure you always are safe with
nothing “dangling” to be a safety
concern. With the personal protection
equipment in order, now let’s talk about a
tool or two and a sharpening system. For
all of your turning projects, you will need
to have some method of sharpening
whatever tools you buy or borrow. You
can use a 6, 7, or 8-inch grinder that runs
at low or high speed. It doesn’t matter as
long as you use only one grinder to
sharpen your tools. Changing grinders,
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even if the same wheel diameter, will
cause you more problems that you need.
Use the same grinder all of the time if at
all possible. You can buy a used grinder or
new. It need not be expensive but you
will need a sharpening system of some
kind. There are a host of jigs to remedy
your sharpening difficulties. You can
choose as you wish.
With a sharpening system in place, you
can focus on your tools. Start simply with
the minimum you need. You can add as
required when you’ve mastered the
initial tools. The tools will vary
depending on whether you are interested
in bowl turning or spindle work.
In review, you’ll need a lathe or access to
one. Assuming you have the lathe and
basics for mounting the work, you should
have your personal protective
equipment, a sharpening system, and a
couple of initial tools. Once you’ve had
time to use these tools, working on
mastering the fundamentals, you can
begin to add the additional tools, work-
holding devices, and other items that will
allow you to continue your woodturning
journey. Don’t be afraid to purchase used
items. Great values can be had if the items
are still serviceable. You can stretch your
dollars a bit farther buying used so
consider it when you have the
opportunity.
~ Kurt Hertzog
Henrietta, New York
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VIDEO TIPS
Measuring a Tenon on a Spindle Turning Using a Caliper
By Beth Ireland

Beth Ireland demonstrates how to measure a tenon on a spindle turning using a

caliper.

Video link: http://vimeo.com/65051640 (Tip: If you have trouble accessing the video
directly from this document, you may copy the video link and paste it directly into
your browser.)

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOODTURNERS

Turning a Morse Taper

By Beth Ireland

Beth Ireland demonstrates how to turn a morse taper (TRT 7:28).

Video link: http://vimeo.com/70348015 (Tip: If you have trouble accessing the video
directly from this document, you may copy the video link and paste it directly into
your browser.)

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